Brickmaking-machine



C. CROUCH.

BRICKMAKING MACHINE.

APPLlcATloN FILED 111211.22, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEEI l.

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C. CROUCH.

BRICKMAKING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED API'LZZ. 1919.

1,331,323. y I Patented Feb.17,1920.

2 SHEETS-.SHEET 2.

.INVENTOR @f @ufff/f ATTORNY CLAYTON (motion, or CLEVELAND, OHIO.

Specifvcaticn of Letters Patent.

BRIoKMAK'ING-MAOHINE.

Patented Feb. 1v, 1920.

Appneation mea April 22, i919. serial No. 291,888.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that I, CLAYTON CnonoH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inBrickmaking- Machines, of which the following is a specification.

Edy invention relates to improvements in machines for making b icks, or analogous articles, the present embodiment of the invention relating more particularly to machines of this class or type in which molds are employed in connection with mold charging and discharging mechanism, together with improved means of mounting and feeding the molds and pallets,vand also improved means for receiving the pallets and bricks as the latter are discharged or ejected from the molds by the mold discharging or ejecting mechanism.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a generally improved machine of this class or type which will be exceedingly7 simple in construction, cheap of manufacture, and eilicient in use.

l'lilith the above mentioned and other ends in view, the invention consists in the novel construction, arrangement, and combination of parts, hereinafter described, and illustrated in one of its embodiments in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed ont in the appended claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, ferr-lingl a part of this specification, Figure l, is a cross sectional view of a brick making machine constructed in accordance with this invention, two molds with their subjacent pallets being in their stationary abutting position at the mold charging and discharging portions of the machine, preparatory to ha *ing material pressed therein and ejected therefrom at the end of the working stroke or impulse of the intermittent mold chain actuating mechanism and preparatory to the return of such mechanism,A as shown by he dotted lines, to its initial position for a new working stroke or feeding impulse.

Fig. 2, a front elevation of the saine, certain portions of the mixing hopper being broken away for the purpose of clearer illustration of the parts.

Fig. 3, a longitudinal sectional view of the mold charging portion of the machine/taken on' lneB-:S of Y Fig. at, a fragmentary end view of the mixing hopper illustratingl in particular the connecting mechanism between the mixing shaft and the mechanism for intermittently actuating or feeding the endlessl chain of molds.

Fig. 5, a fragmentary top plan view ofthe endless chain of molds, the chains being diagrammatically illustrated by dotted lines, as in Figs. l and 2 of the drawings.

Fig. G, a fragmentary top plan View of the gravity co1 veyer and the pallets and brick receiving and lowering mechanism foi` receiving the pallets and bricks as the latter are successively ejected and discharged from the succes ve molds above and are delivered to the gravity conveyor.

Fig. 7, a top plan view of the pallet rcceiving table and the mold supporting arms superposed slightly above the table for initially receiving a pallet beneath said arms and the superposed mold and preparatory to the initial feeding' movement of the latter and its subjacent pallet and the chain connected molds by the inold actuating or feedino` mechanism.

Fig. S, an enlarged fragmentary disassembled view of one of the endless mold chains and illustrating a flexible link or pivot connection therefor at the sides of the molds.

Fig. 9, an enlarged fragmentary top plan vieuv of one of the mold retarding and supporting guide members at the mold discharging portion of the machine for supporting the mold only, as the brick and palletl are ejected and moved downwardly therefrom on thc intermittently moving pallet and brick carrying mechanism coperat'ing with the subja'cent gravity C'Onveye'r.

Similar numerals of reference designate like parts throughout all the figures of the drawings.

The improved machine comprises a suitable supporting frame or base, consisting, in the present instance, in a casing frame orv base l, at one end and a suitable end support la, at the other, said supports' 1 and l, carrying a suitable mixing hopper 2,v the latter being provided with a shaft 3, carrying a plurality of mixing blades 3, at one end and a plurality of pugging blades 3b, at the other. The pugging blades comprise wiper membersc, and knife or cutter mem-` bers 8d. The knife and wiper members.- 3d and 3C', communicatie with a moldcharging portion or neck 2a, the latter being provided at its bottom withV reduced openings 2b,

through which the material is adapted to be pressed into the molds by means or the vertically reciprocatingplunger 4, operated asV intermediate crank arm 12, said crank arm 12, being connected to connecting rods or links 13, said links 13, being connected to the ends of overhanging levers 14, the latter being connected in suitable bearings 14a, at

the rear-of the machine hopper.

As a means of simultaneously actuating the mold charging plunger 4, and the mold discharging plungers 15, the plunger 4, is provided withV ystem portions 4, pivotally connected to the free. ends of the levers 14, and the mold discharging or brick ejecting plungers 15, are provided with stems 15, slidably mounted in a guide bracket 16, and mounted on the front of the mixer casing, said guide stems 15-, being mounted in a cross head or bracket 17, pivotally connected to connecting links 18, leading upwardly to the vertically movable ends of the overhanging levers 14.

' Referring now to the improved molds and mold and pallet mounting, handling and actuating mechanism, to which this invention particularly relates, it will be seen that I provide an endlessA chain of molds regularly spaced from each other and flexibly connected in any suitable and convenient .mannen said flexible connection, in the presactuated, as vhereinafterV described, the machine is provided with suitable mold supporting and guiding members, said supporting and'vguiding members, in the present instance, being in 'the ,specific form of curved bracket members 21, secured to the sides of theframe casing 1, and adapted ,to support the ends of -the endless chain ofmolds 19,` as

same may be buckled for bringing two adjacent molds therein intoabutting position by the actuating mechanism, as hereinafter more fully referred to, and whereby the lower pass of the endless chain of molds will have sufficient slack to permit of such buckling action in thev upper pass, it will be seen that the supporting and guiding members 21, are sospaced as to provide a space 21a, at the ends and lower portions of the members 21, and thus providing some slack in thelowerpass of the endless chain of molds. H

As a means of successively providing each mold with a pallet 22, Ibefore the latter and the superposed mold 19 are intermittently actuated and. fed into the mold charging and discharging portions of the machine, Ya pallet receiving table 23, is mounted between `the walls of the casing frame 1, by means of brackets 23a, and as a-meansof supporting the mold 19, above the table 23, so as to provide an intervening space for the reception oi the pallet 22, thetable 23, Vis provided with a plurality of mold supporting arms 23b,it being obvious that when the mold is thus supported the pallet may be readily insertedf manually from one side of the ma- Y chine. Y

As means of intermittently actuating the molds 19, in proper timed or synchronous relation to the plunger members 4 and 15,V the mold' actuating mechanism preferably comprises a plurality of mold actuators, in the speciiic form of pusher bars 24, having heads'241, adapted to successively engage at the Vrear of the molds 19, and having inclined portions 2 b, adaptedl` to ride over the molds as moved rearwardly for successive actuation andto drop at the rear of the molds, as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 1 of the drawings, said pusher bars 24, being pivotally connected to arms 25, carried on a rock shaft 26, mounted in suitable bearings 26a, on the machine casing.

As a means of actuating the rock shaft 26, the latter is provided with an arm 26h. connected to' a connecting rod 27, (see Fig..4-) the latter connected to an arm 28. on the Shaft 3.y

AAs a means lot retarding the mold 19, at the brick discharging portion of the machine, so that the molded material -in the'openings willregister with the plungers 15, above, and also as a means of providing lfor a buckling of the chain 20, as `-at 20, between the two molds, as shown most clearly in Fig.V 1 of the drawings, and also as a Ameans of supporting the mold while the bricks and pallets are moved downwardly therefrom by the pallet receiving and lowering arms 29,

iic

mounted and operated as hereinafter described, the brick or mold discharging portion of the machine is provided with mold retarding and supporting guide members 30, having spring side members 30, adapted to operate in side grooves 19, of the molds 19, as shown most clearly in Fig. 9, of the drawings.

As a. means of lowering and returning the pallet and mold receiving arms 29, while the molds 19, are being given a feeding impulse, and after the'bricks are ejected therefrom, the arms 29, are mounted on a cross bar 32, carried on vertical plunger shafts 33, the latter being mounted in guides 34, and being spring resisted by means of surrounding coil springs 35, the upper ends of said plunger arms 33 being provided with rollers adapted to ride upon and be actuated by thevcams ll, on the shaft lO. It will be seen that the cams 11, are provided .with dwell portions 11a, so as to hold the arms 29, in a substantially fixed position at the extreme throws of the shafts 33.

At the extreme lower position of the pallet and mold carrying arms 29, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. l of the drawings, the pallets 2:2, and superposed bricks 36, are deposited upon the gravity rollers 37, on the curved track-way 38, and are carried therefrom in the direction of the arrow, as shown most clearly in Fig G, of the drawings.

As a means of coating the interiors of the molds with parting material, such as sand,

lubricant, or the like, the molds are adaptedv to pass above alubricant or sanding chamber 39, in the casing 40, such parting material being adapted to be agitated and thrown upwardly by means of arms 41, on a shaft {Ji-2, receiving its motion from a pulley 42, communicating with a second pulley 4:3, on the driving shaft 6.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the operation and advantages of my invention will be ieadily understood,

Having thus described one of the embodiments of my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. In a machine having an operating station, an endless slack chain of spaced flexibly connected receivers, and means for initially moving a part of said receivers into abutting relation and then moving the same forwardly thereby actuating the whole chain.

2. In a machine having an operating station, an endless slack chain of spaced flexibly connected receivers, and means for initially moving a part of said receivers into abutting relation and then and thereafter actuating the whole chain as said abutting receivers are further moved.

3. In a machine having an operating station, a plurality of spaced flexibly connected holders arranged in endless slack chain form forming adjacent passes, means for supporting said chain of holders and forming a slack in a portion of said chain between said abutting receivers, and thereby picking up slack in the other portion of said chain.

1l. In a machine, including a charging station, an endless slack chain of flexibly connected receptacles, means for retarding said receptacles at the charging station, means for forming slack in one pass of said chain, and means for moving successive receptacles into abutting relation to each other and forming a buckle in said chain at said charging station.

5. In a bric-k making machine, an endless slack chain of spaced flexibly connected molds, means for retarding said molds in one pass of said chain, means for supporting said chain of molds and forming slack therein in the other pass thereof, and means for moving said molds into abutting relation and forming a buckle between the abutting molds in conjunction with said mold retarding means.

6. In an operating machine, a processing station, a plurality of spaced flexibly connected receivers ar langed in endless chain form forming adjacent passes, and means for supporting said chain of receivers and forming slack in one pass of said chain between receivers when the latter are moved to abutting position thereby taking up slack in the other pass of said chain.

7. In a machine having operating and discharging stations, an endless yieldably mounted chain of spaced flexibly connected receptacles, means for successively engaging said spaced receptacles and first moving the same into abutting relation forming slack in said chain in one pass and then moving the same in such abutting position past said operation position and thereby moving the whole chain.

8. In a machine, including charging and discharging stations, a plurality 0f spaced molds arranged in flexibly connected yieldably mounted endless chain form, means for supporting and guiding the same in passes, and means for intermittently actuating said endless chain form'by successively engaging and actuating receptacles in one pass into abutting relation and then moving the same in such relation thereby actuating the whole chain.

9. In a brick making machine having mold charging and discharging portions, and a loosely mounted endless chain of flexibly connected spaced molds, means at the dis charging portion of said machine for retarding said molds, means for supporting said molds as the material is discharged therefrom, means for feeding molds 1n abutting relation to saidV moldA charging mechanism, and meansV for receiving the discharged material fromsaid molds as discharged.

10. In a brick making machine, an endless chain of spaced molds, means, for re tarding said molds in one pass of said chain, means for yieldably supporting said chain of molds thereof, and means for successively engaging and moving said molds into abutting relation with each otherand forming a buckle in the retarded portion ofV said chain between said abutting molds in conjunction with said mold retarding means. n Y

l1. In a brick making machine having mold charging and discharging portions, and an endless yieldably supported chain of flexibly connected spaced molds, means at the discharging portion of said machine for retarding said molds, means for supporting chain form, means for simultaneously filling and discharging brick forms into and out of molds when at rest, and means for receiving and lowering brick from beneath said molds as discharged from said molds between the intermittent movements of said chain form.

13.' In a brick making machine, an endless chain of flexibly connected spaced molds, means for supporting the same to provide opposite passes, mold charging and mold of said molds.

supporting meansV arranged in proximity to one pass of said chainof molds, mold disV charging mechanism arranged in proximity to a pass of said chain of molds, means for intermittently actuating said molds, means for retarding the forward mold` as passed through said mold charging mechanism, and

means for initially receivingthe discharged brick as discharged from said molds andV slack will form in one pass of said chain between .adjacent receptacles and slack will be taken upm the opposite pass thereof` and means for successively engaging said receptacles of said chain for first initiallyY moving the adjacent receptacle into abutting relation with the forward adjacentireceptacle, and then finally passing the receptacles into and-out of the charging and discharging stations of'said machine. Y I5. In a brick making machine, an end'- less chain of iiexibly and loosely connected spaced molds, meansfor supporting the ends thereof to provide opposite passes, mold supporting means karranged in proximity to one pass of said chain of molds,;mold discharging mechanism arranged in proximity to said pass of said chain of molds in front of said mold supporting means, means for intermittently moving spaced molds into abuttingV relation kand thenV moving said chain, means for retarding the forward mold as passed ,through said mold discharging mechanism` and means for initially receiving' the discharged brick" as discharged from said molds and then lowering .the same between. the intermittent movements Y In testimony whereof I have. affixedV my signature.

f CLAYTON onouoii. 

